Top Manta turns 5K run into anti-racist mobilization

Barcelona's street vendors' cooperative, Top Manta, will organize the second anti-racist race on Saturday, June 13, turning a 5-kilometer run through Montjuïc into what organizers describe as a "broader social mobilization against racism and hate speech."

Following the "historic" first edition last year, which gathered more than 10,000 people including runners, supporters, and spectators, this year's race moves from the streets of Sants to Montjuïc hill, with registrations now open for 1,500 participants. 

"This is much more than a race, it is a social mobilization to demand a fairer and anti-racist society," organizers said during the presentation held at the Oval Hall of the Catalan National Museum of Art.

The race will begin at 6 pm from Avinguda Ferrer i Guàrdia, near the Magic Fountain, climbing toward the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium and Palau Sant Jordi before returning to the starting point. 

Beyond sport

The event comes as Top Manta marks 11 years since the creation of the street vendors' union, and amid what organizers described as a growing climate of hate speech and institutional racism.

They cited immigration raids in the United States by ICE, racist incidents in Catalonia, the eviction of the B9 building in Badalona, and anti-Muslim chants at a football stadium as examples of how "hate manifests itself in more and more spaces."

"Until all lives can be lived with dignity, the race continues," they said, presenting it as the main message of this year's campaign. 

Organizers also linked the race to recent migrant regularisation in Spain.

Lamine Sarr, one of Top Manta's spokespersons, said the measure was the result of years of organizing led by migrants themselves.

"It is not PSOE, it is not Pedro Sánchez, it is not political parties from the left or the right that allowed this regularization," he said. "It is the hard work of many migrant people."

For second Top Manta spokesperson Aziz Faye, the race symbolizes a long journey of resistance that began long before migrants arrived in Europe.

"We do not run because we are fleeing from something, but we are running for resistance," he said.

A final performance was planned at the end of the presentation with a strong message: "No sobren migrants, sobren racistes" or, "There aren't too many migrants, only too many racists."

Agua Running Club

Top Manta president Marema Babou presented the official race poster and the new T-shirt for this year's Agua Running Club collection.

The technical running shirt is inspired by traditional African patterns and made from fabric produced from 100% recycled plastic bottles in Top Manta's own workshop.

The word "Agua" refers to the warning street vendors use to alert each other when police arrive.

"It is not only to warn others, but a word of resistance, a word of dignity, a word of solidarity," organizers explained.

Participants can register with a basic race bib, add the commemorative shirt, or choose the "dorsal zero" option, allowing people who cannot run to support the event financially.

This year, the anti-racist races will also spread beyond Barcelona, with community-led editions planned in Terrassa, Sallent, Salt and Girona, Sabadell, La Garrotxa, Solsona, Vic, and Manresa.

Organizers say the goal is to make anti-racism visible across Catalonia and reclaim sport as a collective and political space.

Registrations are now open on the race website for €20, with participation limited to 1,500 runners.